Encryption As A Service: Centrally Managed Encryption For Faster Deployments And Easier Maintenance

Fast and convenient encryption deployments mean better security

Maintenance - Government audits

When it comes to data encryption, companies need more than adequate encryption software. I mean, you can't just check to make sure the encryption software you've signed up for uses RSA or AES and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Two vendors may offer the same encryption algorithms, but one may successfully protect your computers, while the other becomes a white elephant.

Making Deployments Easy Also Means More Security

There are free encryption software packages out there. Free, as in beer and money. And, because there are only a handful of encryption algorithms that work, they offer the same protection that you would get from a mid-level or highly expensive encryption suite.

If they afford the same protection, why the different prices? And why so many of them? There are many reasons and factors, but I'd say that a key element is convenience. And when it comes to encryption, convenience is no laughing matter.

Let me put it this way: what's more convenient, encrypting the hard disks of one thousand computers one by one, or doing it all at the same time?

The latter obviously. What's not so apparent at first glance, though, is that the latter also means that your company is better protected.

How come, you might ask? After all, convenience and security are inversely proportional. If something is convenient, chances are some type of security aspect was handicapped.

And that's generally true, I tend to find. However, when it comes to encryption--or rather, to the deployment of encryption software--more convenience means faster and easier deployments which in turn mean more security.

If you encrypt computers one by one, then it's going to take a long time (if you ever finish, that is).

Where is the guarantee that computers will not be stolen while you're deploying the necessary data security software? While you're encrypting the fifth computer, the 995th is getting stolen. The longer it takes your IT department to protect information, the higher the chances that your company will experience a data breach.

However, if you can rapidly deploy data security software across your organization...well, there's no guarantee that a laptop will not go missing, but it will prevent a disastrous data breach since the contents are encrypted. I repeat, the faster you've got encryption in place, the more secure your information will be.

The ability to encrypt computers en masse is a security benefit.

Plus, there are plenty of reasons why people shouldn't thumb their noses at convenience. If you ask around, you'll hear of many instances where a company signed up for encryption and never deployed it completely because the logistics were too overwhelming. They start all gung-ho and eventually peter out...at which point your company's not protected and you've spent a good amount of resources, in both time and money.

Generating Audit Reports

Of course, deploying encryption is not the end of it. There is, if you will, the on-going maintenance, which include:

That last one, in particular, will grow in importance. More and more governments are becoming aware that digital devices are vectors for ID theft and other forms of digital crime (which tends to spill over into the non-digital world) that cost individuals, companies, and governments billions of dollars every year.

Hence, they're beginning to require companies that have contracts with the government to prove that sensitive data is encrypted. However, this is not an easy task.

For example, the Ministry of Defence in the UK claims that 8% of government contractors have admitted not complying with encryption requirements, and 18% have not responded at all.

My guess: that 18% is not responding, not because they're ignoring government requirements, but because they don't know.

If they had used centrally managed encryption software like AlertBoot, it wouldn't be a problem, though. With its powerful and flexible data report engine, figuring out which computers are encrypted would be a piece of cake. That, on top of conveniently deploying multiple computers at the same time.

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About sang_lee

Sang Lee is a Senior Account Manager and Security Analyst with AlertBoot, Inc., the leading
provider of managed endpoint security services, based in Las Vegas, NV. Mr. Lee helps with the deployment and ongoing
support of the AlertBoot disk encryption managed service.
Prior to working at AlertBoot, Mr. Lee served in the South Korean Navy. He holds both a B.S. and an M.S. from Tufts
University in Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.